Any artist must find their true calling. What is it that the universe is laying out for you? Our recent find YOVANNI has a clear view of his purpose and is sharing his music with the world.
We had a chance to chat with the pop singer as he recently released his music video for ‘Perfect Crime’. Enjoy the interview here:
First off, Is there a story behind the decision to go with YOVANNI as your artist name?
I am a product of the 80’s and all the biggest rock stars were one name artists. Madonna was the most famous and I loved her style and music. My name at the time was unique and I liked the way my mom spelled it. She named me after a famous soap opera star from Cuba. I decided to use my name and claim my mark in the entertainment industry.
How would you describe your sound?
Pop Rock music has always had a special place in my musical world because a good written song with a catchy hook and memorable vibe can take you into moments of life that allow you to be free. My sound is a hybrid of good 80’s euro pop rock, with modern electronica vibes and poetry. I like to tell stories through sound and vision.
Which artists have had the biggest influence on you?
Every legendary artist has been trained by another artist that paved the way. I was a product of the early days of music with artists such as George Michael and Madonna. But one of the best influences for me was the rock icon singer Meatloaf. I connected with him because I have been a big and tall man all my life and did not fit that model skinny pretty boy pop artist look. Meatloaf broke the mold because he was fat, older and sweaty with a dynamite voice and theater style rock concerts.
It was amazing for me as a fat kid to see that it could be possible to break into the music industry as long as you had the talent to back it up.
What is it that drives you to create music?
Singing, writing songs, performing on a stage or being in front of a camera has always brought me a sense of accomplishment. I believe that no matter how old, young, fat, skinny, gay, straight, black, white or rainbow… Our #1 duty as humans on earth is to try to accomplish every good vision that the universe and the powers that be places in your heart and soul. You must be the architect of your life and do your best to develop the blueprint that was given to you at birth. For me I can’t abandon my childhood dreams because honoring my music and being myself is the closest I get to feeling complete and I can leave a positive footprint of my journey as a modern citizen on earth.
How does a song come to you? What is your songwriting process?
Songs are not as easy to write as people think. Today you listen to the radio and all you hear in a record playing is half a verse and 3 minutes of two words being repeated throughout a loop and beat. For me a song needs more complexity and structure. I love to jam in a studio or with another musician or just a simple arrangement. The sounds have to have a conversation with me and allow me to freely speak back to it. I try to find the right key and the melody. My mind starts to search for images of my life or a story I may have seen or heard somewhere else. If it takes over my spirit and I can’t stop grooving, then I feel I have a hit song to take into the studio and bring to life.
Music video for ‘Perfect Crime’ by YOVANNI
Your latest single ‘Perfect Crime’ is quite the powerful electro-pop track. Tell us about how that one came to be?
“Perfect Crime” is a song written in the subway on my way back home from the studio. My producer Nik Chinboukas had a section of music he was working on and I loved the way it sounded. I wrote the song about how people will go and do acts of crime and lust just to satisfy another person’s desires. Originally the song was more basic and atmospheric with a chill out vibe. After I ended a bad romance I was in, I decided to finish the track and give it a more mature and electro style vibe. I decided to have Jay Sustain from the group Blue Massive remix the final version and he gave it that haunting electro pop vibe.
The accompanying video came out great, but we heard you shot the whole thing on an iPhone. What was that like?
Yes… All the rumors are true! I did shoot both my previous music video “Breathe” and now “Perfect Crime” on my iPhone. I had a serious accident a couple years back and could not walk or go outside. I was getting desperate to release these new songs I had recorded when I was in NY. Unfortunately, I lost everything after the accident and now with the Pandemic it was difficult to get money and hire a production crew. So, I decided that I would film it myself. I licensed some stock footage that would tell the story and have some characters and worked alongside an editor friend Martin Szorad who helped with the final edit version of “Perfect Crime” after my computer broke down midway in editing. These days we all have to get creative and use the tools we have available.
Give us a look at the future of YOVANNI?
The future is unknown, and I wish I was like the great astrologer Walter Mercado who can predict what is going to happen. We are living in a brand-new, unknown world and nobody can predict the future.
But I can tell you that right now, I am just trying to honor my life mission by continuing to bring art and stories into the world. I want to make sure that I maintain a peace of mind by knowing that I am a modern citizen. I am working on releasing some more new music and continue to leave the footprints of a man of the modern world.
